Is Eataly eyeing D.C.’s Capitol Crossing project?

The gourmet Italian food emporium from celebrity chef Mario Batali has been rumored to be looking for space in the District for more than two years. Today, D.C. UrbanTurf reported that Eataly has set its sights on Capitol Crossing, a massive mixed-use development that would be built on a platform above Interstate 395 in Northwest D.C. a few years from now.

The developer of Capitol Crossing, Property Group Partners, declined to comment on the report. A rep for Eataly said (as they always do) that the company is looking to bring the concept to D.C. but it doesn’t yet have a location.

But there could be more to the rumors this time around. UrbanTurf reports a square-footage number — 30,000 to 35,000 square feet — that’s in line or slightly less than what Eataly usually looks for. The blog also has a rendering that’s supposedly of Eataly at Capitol Crossing.

The development’s timing could also fit with Eataly’s current plans. Construction on the Capitol Crossing buildings won’t begin for at least two years, as a platform above I-395 must be constructed first. Eataly, which has U.S. location in New York and Chicago, along with two dozen locations in other parts of the world, has said its next American locations would be in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

That could mean the company is thinking of D.C. for another year or so after that.